Matteo Cibic: EDIDA India Young Talent 2015

by
Aditi Sharma MaheshwariJun 22, 2016

It’s easy to spot Matteo Cibic in a crowd… tall and lean with a boyish disposition, infectious energy and love for long conversations. This world famous Italian product designer comes across as an easy to befriend person. A maverick who studied B. Tec in Art and Design in London and graduated from Politecnico di Milano in Industrial Design, he started his own practice in 2007. It was back then that Matteo Cibic Studio in Vicenze was established – his array of work includes product design, communication, exhibition design, fashion design and creative problem solving.

Matteo lives in transit between Milan and his hometown, Treviso. He loves exchanging ideas and draws inspiration from people. “The first product that I ever made was a ceramic and gold 24k teddy bear in 2009. It looked unique and I had fun designing it,” shares Matteo. Over time, his creations continued reflecting interesting themes and ideas, like Domsai, which is a human astronaut shaped ceramic planter and Wild Rider sculpture that encases a desk and a bar amongst many more. But the one that made him widely known in the Asian market was the EDIDA 2015 winning Vanilla Noir collection for Scarlet Splendour. “What I love about this collection is that it celebrates a mix of Indian and Italian culture,” says he. “Its timeless quality shows varying periods, region, designs of the ‘30s and ‘40s. It showcases influences of churches, cathedrals, medieval buildings, inlay techniques and much more.”

A 12 piece series, it includes cabinets, mirrors, and dressing table that reflects Indian handicraft of bone and horn inlay. “I am very happy about winning an EDIDA for two reasons: First, with the help of Scarlet Splendour I was able to show a mix of two different worlds and cultures and the second, the European market was exposed to an Indian luxury brand. They couldn’t believe that an Indian company could collaborate with an Italian designer and produce such amazing craft.”

On talking about his current work—titled Vaso Naso—the designer shares that this is a part of his one year research project. Inspired by the artist Giorgio Morandi, who spent each day of his life painting stills of bottles and pots, he too decided to explore this obsession. The project that started on January 1, 2016 will be concluded on December 31st this year. Every day on his website, he reveals a ceramic vase with a unique nose. “I added a nose on the containers to give them character – when put together some look arrogant, some flirtatious, others happy or proud,” concludes Matteo.